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Mini-doll figure
The Mini-doll figure is a variant of the minifigure introduced in 2012 for the Friends theme. It is also used in Disney Princess theme and Fusion theme since 2014 as well as in Elves theme in 2015. Mini-dolls are intended to be more realistic and stylish than the standard minifigure, to appeal more to the female market. Construction Mini-dolls are around 5 millimetres taller than a standard minifigure, and are less blocky and more stylized. They share a similar construction with the minifigure, having four parts: the legs (which cannot move separately), the torso, the head, and the hair or headpiece. The arms can be moved up and down, but unlike the minifigures, the hands can't be turned around. Mini-dolls are also designed to be "compatible" with regular minifigures, so they have the same style of U-shaped hand, and regular studs on their heads. This means they can hold any accessory, and wear any hair or hat element. Likewise, the unique hair elements used on Mini-dolls are compatible with minifigures. The parts of a mini-doll are specifically designed to be shapely and stylish, to comply with girls’ requests for a more realistic, relatable and stylized figure", according to the LEGO Group. In 2012, a total of 29 mini-dolls were released. In 2013, 23 more have been released, and in 2014, at least 24 will be released, leading to a total of 74 so far. Design Mini-dolls’ parts come in different variants according to character’s age, gender and current activity and can be recombined to suit any occasion or weather conditions. Hair Each of the five leading heroines (Andrea, Emma, Mia, Olivia and Stephanie) is given a new hair piece, made of soft rubber instead of standard minifigures’ plastic ones. There are holes on the top and/or on the right side of the mould, where accessories like crowns or bows can be put. Except Joanna's braid (later used for Emily), other minor teenage girls included in each set reuse the heroines' hairpieces but in different colours. Adult women such as Anna and Ms. Stevens have short hair style – a smooth bob with a side partition. There is also a special hairpiece for horse riders – a black riding cap combined with a ponytail in different hair colours. Disney Princess introduce several kinds of original hairpieces for the heroines, some of which are later reintroduced in other themes. Elves, the second original mini-doll theme, introduces a group of original hairpieces attached elf ears. Most ordinary male mini-dolls reuse old hairpieces from minifigures. Farran from Elves is the very first male mini-doll to have own orginial hairpiece. Head All the mini-dolls’ heads use the same mould, with more shaped facial features than a minifigure head, including nose and cheekbones. They come in two different colours – light nougat and light brown – and have several printing variants. The eye colour is dark green, light brown, dark brown or light blue. Lips can be shown as a simple black-contoured smiley curve on boys’ faces or elaborately lipsticked one (in red or pink) on feminine mini-dolls. Sometimes there is an additional printing of specific character’s features such as Mia’s freckles, Ms. Stevens’ spectacles or Peter’s beard. Torso 's torso element]] There are three different torso moulds: one shaped to represent a teenage girl, one for adult women with more pronounced curves, and one used for men and boys. The arms rotate through a full turn, although many of the hair pieces block much of the arm's rotation.The skin colour is light nougat or light brown, to match the mini-doll's head. The torso printing variants indicate various clothes designs – from bikini tops up to winter jackets with scarfs. There are various sleeveless tops, polo T-shirts, long-sleeved blouses, jackets, a Christmas jumper and a shirt with a tie. Some torsos are combined with certain leg pieces to create special outfits such as a riding suit, a karate uniform, a waitress uniform or a woman’s tail-coat. The torsos usually come with small printed decorations and details, with a bit of skin showing at the top, although some, such as Katharina, have no visible skin or printed detail. Legs There are several differently moulded leg pieces for mini-dolls. Unlike those of minifigures, the leg pieces cannot move separately and bend backwards at all, but like minifigures they bend forwards a quarter of a turn so a mini-doll can sit down. Adult women wear long skirts, girls can choose from two types of short skirts – plain and double frilled (layered). There are also three types of trousers – full-length, bermuda pants and shorts (swimming trunks). At the swimming pool or at the sea side they wear either shorts or a leg piece resembling a towel wrapped around figure’s waist. Masculine minifigures use the same trousers’ pieces as feminine ones. All of the leg pieces except full-lenght trousers pieces have a part of the mould which is often printed in skin colour, although in some cases it is printed to represent leggings and boots instead. The shoe prints come in several variants resembling elegant shoes, trainers, winter boots, riding boots and flip-flops. The wave of 2014 Disney Princess sets introduced two new types of mini-dolls' leg pieces. The first is a full-length skirt used as the lower part of dressing gowns worn by all princesses. The A-shaped skirt reaches to the ground covering figure's legs and shoes completely. The second piece, designed specially for Ariel, is a mermaid's fish tail, allowing the character to be attached to the studs in standing position. The construction of this part is similar to the tail used by mermaiden minifigures, but the mini-doll version can also bend into sitting position. In 2015 a new type of leg piece will be introduced in Elves theme - a short asymmetrical skirt. History According to LEGO's research, female children tend to project themselves on to the figures they play with, while males will play in the third person. http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/lego-is-for-girls-12142011.html#4 "The key difference between girls and the ladyfig and boys and the minifig was that many more girls projected themselves onto the ladyfig—she became an avatar. Boys tend to play with minifigs in the third person." This figure introduced new fans of Lego just by the look. Controversy The Mini-doll figures, like the rest of Friends line, were received with hostility by some upon the theme's launch, being panned as "gender stereotyped". There are also complaints on how these minifigures "for girls" are less compatible with minifigures from other themes. Bailey Shoemaker Richards and Stephanie Cole from SPARK stated "After 4 years of marketing research, LEGO has come to the conclusion that girls want LadyFigs, a pink Barbielicious product line for girls", in a petition on Change.org. http://www.change.org/petitions/tell-lego-to-stop-selling-out-girls-liberatelego (Change.org petition) Characters *Andrea is one of the five main friends, she is the music lover of the group. *Andrew likes exploring the seas. *Anna is Olivia's mom and Peter's wife and likes cooking and mowing the lawn. *Chloe loves telling stories and going on adventures with Mia. *Christina is big into Christmas. *Ella likes horse riding. *Emma is one of the five main friends, she is the beautition of the group. *Isabella is big into swimming and going to the pool. *Joanna works at the pet salon. *Kate loves the ocean and exploring it. *Katharina (called Lacy in the T.V. show) is a expert horse rider and Mia's arch rival. *Matthew likes painting pictures. *Mia is one of the five main friends, she is the animal lover of the group. *Ms. Stevens is a teacher at Heartlake High. *Nicole likes camping and cooking. *Olivia is one of the five main friends, she is the smart one of the group. *Peter is Olivia's dad and Anna's husband and he likes cooking and watching t.v. *Sarah works at the beauty shop and loves style. *Sophie is Olivia's aunt and Peter's sister. She's also the vet. *Stephanie is one of the five main friends, she is the soical girl of the group. *Theresa is the horse riding instructor. Minifigure Gallery Friends and Fusion Disney Princess Sets featuring Mini-dolls Friends Disney Princess Fusion LEGO's description Gallery Doll-minifigurecomparison.jpg|Comparison between a mini-doll and a regular minifigure AllMiniDolls2012.jpg|All the 2012 Mini-dolls displayed at AFOLCON 2012 (Photo credit to DrDaveWatford) BrickBuiltFriends.jpg|Brick-built mini-dolls at the 2012 Nuremberg Toy Fair References Category:Friends Category:Minifigures